Barbora Krejčíková first woman since 2000 to win French Open singles & doubles

Barbora Krejčíková, who headed into this year's French Open unseeded in singles play, stunned crowds in Paris yesterday with a 6-1, 2-6, 6-4 victory over Russia's Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova to take home the 2021 Suzanne-Lenglen cup.

On Sunday afternoon, Krejčíková and Czech teammate Kateřina Siniaková handily topped Poland's Iga Świątek and the United States' Bethanie Mattek-Sands in straight sets 6-4, 6-2 to win the French Open doubles title.

With the victory, Krejčíková becomes the first woman since Mary Pierce in 2000 to win the French Open singles and doubles titles in the same year.

"These past two days have been unbelievable," Krejčíková said after the doubles victory on Sunday. "I just want to thank everyone today for coming and supporting us."

"I feel super relaxed and really good on this court. I really look forward to coming back next year," she said to applause from a sparse crowd limited in size due to Covid-19 regulations.

"I want to thank my partner [Siniaková], she is always there for so many years. Hopefully if the Olympics are happening, we'll be there and have a chance this year."

Krejčíková, who reached a #1 WTA ranking in doubles play in 2018, peaked at #33 in singles competition this year heading into the French Open.

The French Open victory over Pavlyuchenkova is her first grand slam singles title in just her fifth major tournament, and will move her up to #15 when new rankings are released Monday.

It was also an emotional victory for the Czech star, who remembered her late coach Jana Novotná after the match. Novotná, who won the 1998 Wimbledon Championships, passed away in 2017 at the age of 49 from cancer.

“I spent a lot of time with Jana before she died. Her last words to me were ‘enjoy tennis and try and win a Grand Slam'," Krejčíková told the crowd at Philippe Chatrier Court after the match on Saturday.

"And, I mean, I know that, from somewhere, she’s looking after me.”

“All of this that just happened, these two weeks, is pretty much because she is just looking after me from up there. It was amazing that I had a chance to meet her and that she was such an inspiration for me. I just really miss her. But I hope she’s happy right now. I’m extremely happy.”

With her victory, Krejčíková has become the first Czech woman since Hana Mandlíková in 1981 to win the French Open singles title.

It was a roller coaster finish, however. While Krejčíková dominated the opening set 6-1, Pavlyuchenkova handily evened the score in the second. A hard-fought third set ended at 6-4 as the 25-year-old Czech found victory.

Top-seeded Czech stars made an early exit from this year's French Open singles play.

Petra Kvitová, ranked 12, exited the tournament following the first round with an ankle injury suffered after a fall in the press room, while unseeded American Sloane Stephens took out Czech stars Karolína Plíšková (10) and Karolína Muchová (19) in the second and third rounds, respectively.

Krejčíková and Siniaková, meanwhile, were seeded #2 in doubles play and coasted through much of the tournament en route to their victory today. It marks their second French Open doubles title after 2018; the pair also won the girl's doubles French Open title as teenagers back in 2013.